John Robertson: Please don't supersize us

As sure as night follows day, each year Auckland City councillors huddle in their chamber and declare that they should take over all greater Auckland. And by resolution of Auckland Council, the supercity call is back.

Councillors usually go through this annual ritual in winter at rate-setting time, no doubt when they feel most miserable.

The years may be different, but the catchcry is the same: "Others should pay more for the use of our fine facilities. And besides, there is disunity in the region".

As mayor of the smallest district in the Auckland region, I disagree.

I will be accused of having self-interest in promoting a different view. I acknowledge that I have an inherent dislike of big government and the bureaucratic organisation it fosters. I also have a distrust of large monopolistic enterprise, in this case a model that would trample over local democracy and sense of community.

All who serve in public office need to remember that they are in the business of community development. Communities develop from the inside out, not the other way around.

Getting governance structures right to deliver services effectively and efficiently for the public good is important. To achieve this, councils need to concentrate on being smarter. But of equal importance is having governance structures that enable communities to be heard, to be understood, and to develop proudly as communities of interest.

Auckland City councillors should appreciate this. In the past year they have found it challenging to manage community aspirations around issues on their front doorstep - recall the paving-stones in Vulcan Lane, trees in Queen St, and the women's suffrage memorial in Khartoum Place.

Imagine how a supercity chamber in Queen St would cope with similar issues that Papakura residents are passionate about in their town centre.

But some activities do need a region-wide governance and funding structure. They are the networks that know no local government boundaries. They include state highways, arterial roads and public transport; drinking water, stormwater and wastewater; and emergency services and civil defence.

The governance structures for most are already set up. The challenge is to make them work well.

The Auckland Regional Council is the governance body responsible for the network that has the worst record of performance - the transport network. Governance restructuring two years ago handed this responsibility to the ARC. The jury is out as to whether our regional council, which already has a supercity-type governance structure, will perform in this area.

Some infrastructure in greater Auckland is not a network but a standalone "essential" piece of infrastructure that mature cities have. Such infrastructure attracts interest nationally and internationally.

The Auckland Museum is one - it stands under a regional governance structure and is funded regionally for operational costs, with the funding formula enforced by statute. This governance system works well.

Then there are the group of visitor and entertainment centres of regional importance, including the Auckland Zoo, the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City, and Papakura's gymnastics centre. They do not need regional governance. They are funded by visitor and user charges and may be subsidised by their local authority or other patrons. This works well.

So what is really behind that resolution for a supercity? Having not been consulted, those of us from Franklin, Manukau, North Shore, Papakura, Rodney and Waitakere can only surmise. Perhaps, like the Queen St trees, consultation will follow.

Papakura, for one, has no desire to be absorbed into some bureaucratic supercity. We value our sense of community too much. We value our democracy. Our population accounts for about 5 per cent of the region's population. We are a much younger population than Auckland City, have a higher proportion of Maori than any other local authority in the Auckland region, and we are growing fast. Our population will double by 2040.

We are challenged by growth but coping well because we talk as a community. We are focused on making our district a great place for children to grow and families to thrive. We are a proud community, contributing our bit to the Auckland region.

It is time for the Auckland region to make the governance structures it has work, not to restructure yet again.

* John Robertson is the Mayor of Papakura District Council.